Shelby board of education to ask voters to approve modified plan

A woman casts her ballot at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland in January 2012 as early voting began for the presidential primary.
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Ohio is one of 42 states to offer early voting. State Sen. Bill Seitz argues that measures now being considered by the General Assembly will assure that voting laws â€“ including early voting times and whether all registered voters are sent absentee ballots â€“ are consistent across the stateâ€™s 88 counties. Opposing arguments that the measures amount to voter suppression ignore several myths, Seitz says. Above, a woman casts an early ballot for the May 2012 primary in Cuyahoga County.
AP FILE - This Jan. 31, 2012 file photo shows a woman voting at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland as early voting began in Ohio's March 6 presidential primary. A dispute over early voting rules in swing state Ohio is playing out in a political spat between the two presidential campaigns and in a federal court battle. At issue is the legality of an Ohio law cutting three days out of the early-voting period for everyone except members of the armed forces and Ohio citizens living overseas. The dispute reaches court Wednesday, thanks to what the Obama campaign describes as its first lawsuit anywhere in the nation for the 2012 election. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)(Photo11: Tony Dejak, AP)

SHELBY – Shelby City Schools is poised to go back to voters a second time with a modified plan to approve a new school building and football stadium.

At a special meeting Monday, the board of education voted 5-0 on the modified option and will ask the county auditor to calculate the millage of a bond issue, which would be on the May ballot.

In November's general election, Shelby voters turned down a 3.9-mill bond issue by a margin of 2,245 votes to 1,566.

The district planned to build one new building to house all the district's pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The school would have been north of, or behind, the current middle school and south of the baseball field.

In addition, the plan called for a new football stadium in the space now occupied by the middle school's academic wing.

Monday's vote came after a community survey was sent out last month, asking voters what they would support.

Superintendent Tim Tarvin went over the results of the survey before the board voted. He was pleased to hear from almost 700 residents.

"About 35 percent of the people said they couldn't support the project for a variety of reasons," Tarvin said. "Sixty-five percent said they would support a project that dealt with a school.

"The one issue we could not draw a consensus on was the football stadium. A number of people encouraged us to remove the football stadium and concentrate on a pre-K through 8 building."

David Conley, of Rockmill Financial Consulting, told board members about five possible options.

"Usually after something like this happens, school boards struggle with what to do next," he said.

The board voted to support a project that was tweaked from the November ballot issue. This option includes a new school building for preschool through eighth-grade students, along with a football stadium at the current track that would have additional 200 to 225 parking spots.

The project would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $158.16 a year.

"Cost was such a prevalent theme in the survey," Conley said. "This project will never be any less expensive. Either you never do this project or those who can't afford it now really won't be able to afford it later."

The board considered four other options. The first would have been a school building only. The second would have covered a new building and football field at the track, but with no additional parking.

The other options would have been to come back with the same plan voters rejected in November or do nothing.

Board members struggled with their decision.

"They should somehow be bundled together," Randy Broderick said of the project.

He said if voters approved a new building now and were asked to fund a football stadium in a couple of years, "there would be an uproar."

Board president Lorie White also wanted to deal with both a new building and football stadium.

"I believe we need to address the stadium issue," she said. "I would hate to just quit and not try to modify the plan. I'd like to think we could pass (the new issue), but I'm not confident that we can."

Broderick said he would like to see a different scale used to illustrate the cost.

"The people who can afford a $100,000 home aren't worried about an extra (amount to pay) a month," he said.

Board member Mark Fisher was hesitant to go back to voters, noting many people in Shelby's aging population are on fixed incomes.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday to pass a resolution of necessity. At a third and final meeting, members will approve the millage and vote to place the issue on the ballot.